Easy Gyeran Jidan (Korean Egg Garnish)

A purist will tell you that gyeran jidan is traditionally made by separating the yolk and egg whites and cooking them separately. Although it is a nice added touch to have both yellow and white egg ribbons, it is perfectly okay to mix the yolk and egg white for a quick and beautiful garnish.

Gyeran jidan is used to garnishes such as janchi guksu, japchae and sometimes even some meat dishes like galbi jjim. When making jidan, make sure not to cook the eggs over high heat. It is important to cook on low temperature and to not brown the jidan.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 pinch of salt

3 drops of sesame oil

1 tbl vegetable oil

**it is also useful to have a chopstick to flip the jidan rather than a spatula

1. Begin by heating up a medium non-stick skillet or frying pan (mine is ~10 in. in diameter) over low heat. Add in the vegetable oil. The pan should emit warmth to your hand when your palm is placed above it.

2. Beat your egg, salt and sesame oil until the yolk and egg whites are no longer separated. Skim off foam if you desire.

3. Once the pan is heated, pour in your egg mixture and swivel the pan around to evenly distribute the mixture. You must do this quickly because the egg will cook rapidly. Your whole pan should be covered.

4. After a few seconds, or when the top of the jidan no longer appears uncooked and shiny, use a single chopstick to gently slide under the jidan, pulling the edge by pinching it with your fingers. Do this to lift the jidan sheet off the pan then flip. Turn off heat and remove from heat. Let sit in pan for about 15 seconds.

5. Take jidan onto a cutting board and roll it up fairly tightly.

6. Slice the jidan into think ribbons and enjoy on your dishes! I used it on some janchi guksu noodles for lunch today and they were beautiful as they are delicious.